Currently, when an administrator installs or configures equipment, such as a printer or copier, the administrator manually records the location of the equipment at a given site. For example, during the installation of a printer, an administrator would manually record the building and room number where the printer was installed. At a later time, the administrator will enter and store the location information of that printer in a system accessible by potential users of the printer.
Unfortunately, equipment is often moved from one location to another location and when this occurs the location information is not always updated or is incorrectly recorded. Outdated or incorrectly recorded, location information is particularly problematic when trying to track critical equipment which is portable. For example, within a hospital accurate information about the location of portable medical equipment is crucial for providing the highest level of health care.